Album Review: “Guppy” by Charly Bliss

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

How long should a band wait to release their debut album? For Charly Bliss, the answer was about three years. Following 2014’s impeccable “Soft Serve” EP, the band seemed poised to finally drop an album; instead, they workshopped songs endlessly until they finally found the ones that felt right. Despite the long gap between releases, “Guppy” feels well worth the wait. Not only does it capitalize on everything that makes Charly Bliss so enjoyable, but it also expands their sound into exciting new directions.

As musicians, the band specializes in the kind of mutated pop perfected in the 90’s; lyrically, however, Charly Bliss heads off into some truly bizarre directions. Their lyrics are full of darkly humorous couplets. Take, for example, the breezy power-pop of “DQ.” The song opens with singer Eva Hendricks proclaiming “I laughed when your dog died” and the chorus features the line “I bounced so high, I peed the trampoline.” The album is perforated with plenty of moments like these. In “Gatorade” she’s seeing her friends with clocks for heads while “Julia” finds her menacingly intoning “I have built a life for us.”

However, the album isn’t all bizarre phrases. When the band lowers their facade and gets earnest, the results are stunning. The most clear example of this is “Black Hole.” Written about an emotionally abusive relationship, the song oozes catharsis and (pardon the pun) bliss, and the closing solo will have listeners air guitaring along. It’s hooky, it’s smart, it’s earnest, and it’s some of the best rock music that’s been made in years. Hopefully it won’t take another four years to get something else like it.